Why Fulham’s decision to sack Rene Meulensteen is beyond ludicrous

You go through a range of emotions as a Fulham fan – mostly disappointment, sometimes jealousy, jubilation on occasion. But rarely anger.

Rarely has this humble club riled its own fans, and never to such a distasteful extent as when Rene Meulensteen was given the boot, to be replaced by the dictatorial Felix Magath. The fury was palpable.

It was a decision that came largely out of the blue, following an impressive upturn in form that coincided with Meulensteen’s overhaul of this previously lifeless squad.

What Meulensteen had done, and it was no mean feat, was inject some energy into this team. He had inherited a squad of non-believers who seemed quite content in their free-fall towards relegation under Martin Jol.

He changed it around; pandered to our hopes and wishes that a team of average 30 somethings could be changed into a group of lively, talented players.

Meulensteen encouraged youth, handing no fewer than eight under 21s their first team Fulham debuts in his brief stint at Craven Cottage.

Simply, the Dutchman made us believe that, no matter our short term fate, there was a future for this club and that that future would be bright.

Former Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has been charged with keeping Fulham up (Picture: AP Photo)

Now, though, the clubs is in a shambles. Sacking two managers in one season is a PR nightmare and though that shouldn’t really matter, our status as a popular, loved, unpretentious club is being slowly eroded by a series of decisions that, politely, can only be described as astonishing.

Jol’s tenure was flawed and he should have left months before he did but even his departure was handled with the utmost incivility. And now Meulensteen is the one that must bear the brunt of our newly acquired, non-committal hire-and-fire system.

But before this turns into a tirade of disapproval from a man who is both ashamed and embarrassed by the actions of his club, let’s at least find some positivity.

Magath does, after all, come with pedigree. His record, though hardly unblemished, is sound; in particular his ability to pull clubs like ours out of the mires.

It could also be said that Meulensteen, in the short term at least, was indeed failing in South West London, possessing a points tally that was no more complimentary than that of Jol’s.

For that, perhaps the decision is understandable, and perhaps the decision will save our season.

But for everything else, for what this club is becoming and what it is leaving behind in the process, it is an abomination.